AMERICAN IDOL 9 - WEEK 2

" Their Future Lies In Your Hands"

This is the quote from Ryan Seacrest as the show opens

There was a program change. The men sang on Tuesday, March 2nd because of the illness/hospitalization of the female singer, Crystal Bowersox. Not without controversy. . . and question as to the wisdom of this decision. Time will tell.

Opening comments by the IDOL judges included some light-hearted comedy by Ellen Degeneres and a prediction that there would be improvement tonight. There was a general agreement that the "Girls" were in the lead although perhaps by only a "smidge".

THE SHOW

Tuesday March 2, 2010

Guys Night

• Michael Lynche (the young man who almost lost his spot as a contestant due to a leak to the press) led off and gave what I considered to be the best performance of the evening. I gave him 4 stars. He even showed his sense of humor in his statement that he could lift Ryan Seacrest four times. He benefited from a profound statement " From a pussy cat to a lion" from Simon.
• John Park followed with his revelation that he was going to take an "honest approach" He told of his association with a singing group Purple Haze , stating that elimination would mean that he would return to them. (A group he sang with at college) This was a painful performance for me and was made worse by the prolonged commentaries by the judges. They talked about the performance longer than John performed.
• Casey James gave a "mean" performance on his electric guitar but I feel that it is unfortunate that his vocals didn't equal his instrumental performance. Judges gave what appeared to be honest assessments but again Simon said it best : " No Grit" .
• Alex Lambert playing his guitar sang Everybody Knows and it was clear that he has a unique style. The main advice given Alex was that he "needs the killer instinct".
• Todrick Hall was next. Just as with last week, he is a dancer trying to be a singer. I felt his choice in song, Whats Love Got to Do With It did not help him accomplish his goal which was to show that "I can sing and belong in this competition" Despite the fact that it was felt that he was "one of the best we had" he did not live up to expectations.
• Jermaine Sellers sang the Marvin Gay song What's Going On but was considered by Randy to be "so close but so far". I personally give him 1 star. Looks as though he might be one to go!
• Andrew Garcia was dwelling on his brake-dancing and come on without his guitar. The interesting comment he made " "I'll take what they say into consideration" left me with concerns that he might like himself better than we like him. Shows a degree of self-confidence but could be misunderstood as a degree of arrogance. Judges indicated that he played it too safe and had a poor choice of song.
• Aaron Kelly the 16 year old gets 3 stars from me. He came across with a strong voice and gave a good rendition of My Girl by the Temptations. Simon's closing remarks to Aaron were "Believe in yourself" Keep up the good work, Aaron.
• Tim Urban accompanied by his guitar performed Come On, Get Higher. He looked like he was having fun throughout the performance. Despite his acceptable performance commentary from the judges included "no stage presence", "it's not all there yet" and surprisingly from Simon, " Marked improvement and more relevant"
• Last up for the evening was Lee Dewyze, without his guitar, singing Lips Of An Angel. Unanimous kudos went his way. His performance garnered "Liked", "Great", "Big improvement" and "Best vocally but need to totally connect". He gets 4 stars from me tonight.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Girls Night

At the shows opening, it was declared that the "Guys were hot last night." I say that they were approaching hot; bath water hot perhaps, but not what I truly consider "hot". After brief words from the judges the performances began.

• Crystal Bowersox who had just been released from the hospital so that she could perform was the first performer of the night. Accompanying herself on the guitar she performed Creedence Clearwater Revival's As Long As I Can See The Light. Randy said " You do what you do" while Ellen complimented her on being "raw, natural talent" Kara, as usual, was direct and specific stating that the performance was "effortless, centered and that she had hit a new level". Simon admitted that he had underestimated her stating that she was "a serious artist" It became clear, I feel, that she is perceived as having the best chance of being the season's winner.
• Haeley Vaughn, the 16 year old who is described as a happy person with a bubbly personality and always smiles gave a more age-appropriate performance based on recommendations from week one. She performed the Miley Cyrus song The Climb. Despite her efforts to be age-appropriate, her performance was not well received. Randy said " It didn't work for me" going further to say it was "excruciating". Ellen expressed her concern for a "lack of feeling" but encouraged her to " Keep smiling". Kara gave her supportive, constructive criticism and encouraged Haeley to keep working and build strength in her performance. Simon's totally open assessment of the performance was that it was a "complete and utter mess". Unfortunately, this stuck as an unpleasant commentary on this young girl's effort. (Especially when all of the judges found it hard to say anything really positive.)
• Lacey Brown who reminds herself " You are made to do this" as motivation, performed Kiss Me by Six Pence None The Richer. Judges comments included: - too Karaoke, " a good song choice but that she didn't bring anything to it.", you have a unique sound and that she needs to "step it up". Perhaps Lacey's time has run out.
• Katie Stevens another young contestant (17) performed Corinne Bailey Rae's Put Your Records On. An acceptable performance, but not especially note worthy. Highlights of the judges' comments are: - Randy "Some bright spots in the performance", Ellen "Great voice" and a younger, hype song", Kara " I'm frustrated with you". Simon came through as the mentor, this time recognizing that she needs more experience and that she needs to know what type singer she wants to be. I do think we will see her returning for week three.
• Didi Benami who likes to meow to exercise her vocal cords before singing and has a star meter performed Bill Withers' Lean On Me. Despite the fact that she was recognized for her unique voice she has now twice made a poor choice of songs and has wasted an opportunity. Leaves me wondering what her "star meter" read tonight.
• Michelle Delamor, in her Vera Wang fashion which drew everyone's attention, performed Creeds, Arms Wide Open. She performed this song in her own style which I would describe as a gospel-like rhythm and blues song.
  Despite her fashion excellence, Randy and Ellen felt that although this was a great opportunity to make the song "different", it didn't quite work. Kara, the mentor, expressed that although it was not technically perfect, it was "believable" while Simon gave her a grade of 80%.
• Lilly Scott revealed that she plays a number of instruments and demonstrated her guitar skills as she accompanied herself performing Sam Cooke's 1964 song, Long Time Coming. She was favorably rewarded by the judges. Randy, who had been somewhat grumpy most of the evening, complimented her as the most unique contestant and for her choice of "toughest songs to sing". Ellen exclaimed that whatever "it" is, you have "it". Kara identified this as her first moment and said that she is a "mismatch for this competition". And finally Simon. He said she over sang it a little but "it was great". Looks as though she can be counted as one who will move on.
• Katelyn Epperly, accompanying herself on the piano performed The Scientist by Coldplay. Aside from the fact that the arrangement was quite slow, she too got good commentary from the judges and I think we can look forward to seeing her again in a week.
• Paige Miles, who had previously been told that she has the best voice performed a Kelly Clarkson song, written by Kara DioGaurdi, Walk A Way. Again it was almost as if the judges were split right down the middle. Randy said that she has a "big voice, one of the best voices " while Ellen summed it up with the word "fantastic". This time Kara knew from whence she spoke, having written the song after a break-up, when she said that the vocal was good but that her smile did not portray the content of the song. Simon felt that it was not the right song for her and that she has a strong voice but makes "bad decisions" Furthermore, he said that the performance was "forgettable" and that she "got lost in the song". She might be in some trouble this week.
• Siobhan Magnus took a gamble performing an Aretha Franklin song, Think. Her performance was well received by the judges who despite other comments felt that she was good and very, very talented.

At the closing of the show, Ryan asked the judges for remarks characterizing the night. There were two.

There was marked improvement in the performances. The performer who stood out was Crystal Bowersox.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Elimination Night

After the usual process of elimination, leaving the show tonight are:

• Michelle Delamor - Her elimination came as somewhat a surprise to me based on the fairly positive critique of the judges. Doubtful, but perhaps her Vera Wang fashion had something to with audience response.
• John Park - It looks as though, based on his statement of Tuesday, he will be rejoining the Purple Haze. Truthfully, his chances looked slim to me so this was really no surprise.
• Jermaine Sellers - So close but so far echoed from Randy was like a prophesy. I saw this as a sure loss for him.
• Haeley Vaughn - Based on the judge's critique of her performance last night, this was really an expected "Good By" She has an advantage over other contestants because she is very young and had time to improve as a result of the constructive criticism offered by the judges. Thank you for the night's closing performance. Keep smiling and we'll see you next season.

Did you select the contestants that were voted off by the general public vote?

Did you agree with the four who were eliminated? .

Of the reported 27 million votes received, I wish we could be given a percentage received by each contestant. That would be very meaningful, I think. What are your thoughts in this regard?

CHECK BACK NEXT WEEK FOR AMERICAN IDOL - WEEK 3